Random Curiosity Power Rankings – August 2007

Here are the August rankings – the summer shows are cranking along at full speed, and the carryovers from spring are coming through for the final stretch. Speaking of which, hasn’t the previous week been SPECTACULAR for anime? There’s been some amazing episodes across the board – it’s great to see that everything’s really kicking into gear to finish strong. As I noted last month, there was a good chance that we could have a new show at the top spot – well, that much was right, but it wasn’t the one I was expecting!
Ranking notes at the bottom!

August 2007

Rank (LM)

Title

Comment

1 (12)

School Days

And the new king of the rankings has been crowned – School Days has gone from pretty good to being possibly the best shounen romance anime ever. Every second oozes perfection, from the gripping suspense to the overbearing guilt, from the precise fanservice to the impeccably timed insert songs. SD is the zenith in the evolving formula of shounen romance, and has set a new standard which all subsequent shows will be compared to.

2 (1)

Gurren Lagann

GL went from being crazy good fun to being a real show that also happens to be crazy good fun. With the introduction and flawless execution of the new plot twists, not to mention a little side trip with Yoko, we’ve been thrust headfirst into a new conflict that’s every bit as intense as the first, but on a much larger scale. And what other show is this freakin’ cool? Too bad it’s almost over – can he rescue Nia in such a short time?

3 (NEW)

Code GEASS

So how about that ending, eh? While people may have different views on how the last scene was handled, I think we can all agree that the final two eps lived up to the lofty expectations; but at the same time, didn’t really exceed them. Still, it was a fitting end to (the first season of) a crazy series, and its constant twists and OMG moments never let up. The stage has been set for the second season – how long will they make us wait?

4 (3)

Lucky Star

The lineup is now complete, and it’s been a joy to meet them all. No other show I’ve seen has this level of character chemistry, which allows us to soak in every second of their bizarrely candid and “normal” conversations. Recent episodes seem to have increased the amount of material by shortening up the scenes and making them snappier and punchline-ier – there’s something for everybody!

5 (9)

Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei

SZS rips apart all the traditional character templates and throws them right back in your face – and it’s total genius. Itoshiki-sensei headlines his class of eccentrics, and it’s a total riot to watch them go about their lives in their own contrasting ways. Everything is so over-the-top and so ridiculously twisted… unique as hell and damn addicting. My concern – how much longer can this twisted freshness keep up?

6 (4)

Seirei no Moribito

The chase is on, and it’s been gripping every step of the way. Mind you, it’s different than the chase earlier in the series – there’s much less physical action this time around, but the psychological warfare going on is not only brutal and exhausting, but beautiful at the same time. One of the best parts? There’s no real bad guy – it’s a struggle between idologies. The best novel to anime adaptation ever?

7 (NEW)

Baccano!

The first ep was baffling for its millions of characters and a myriad of incoherent storylines, but it’s all coming together into one dynamic, upbeat, and otherwise frikkin’ awesome series. Watching the story being told from different perspectives and then having them intersect at various points isn’t a new idea, but Baccano not only pulls it off well, but does it with such spunk that it’s hard not to absolutely love it.

8 (4)

Darker than Black

The show lost some momentum after the Amber / Evening Primrose arc by moving into the yakuza arc, which should have probably been better suited earlier in the series. Huang’s arc picked it back up a bit, but the upcoming arc seems to have more in store with the return of Wei, November 11, and Misaki. There was a lack of “big moments” with the exception of the end of the previous ep, it even then it wasn’t that big.

9 (5)

Claymore

The big ass battle royale lacked the weight of consequence that we saw in the arcs prior – it felt like “just a fight,” whereas before it was more about clawing their way out of imminent death. Until that lion guy showed up, and became as big of a reversal of fortune as I can remember. How’s this anime exclusive ending going to play out? It seems to lost some focus, but it’s keeping up well, so far…

10 (15)

Potemayo

Geez, where to begin. Potemayo has become something of a cult favorite in the past few eps, and it’s really not hard to see why – for starters, it’s freakin’ hilarious. It’s a cut above slapstick but still easy enough to mindlessly enjoy, and has somehow found a balance between repetition and originality in its jokes that it always remains funny. It’s hit-or-miss humor, but it’s hitting at a pretty damn high percentage. SHAAAAAAAAA

11 (10)

Terra e…

After another round of backstories, the character development has really fallen into place. While it wasn’t clear which way Keith would lean prior to finding out the truth about himself, it’s pretty clear now…that’s for damn sure. The stage is now set for an all-out war between the humans and the Mu – there hasn’t been as much action as some of the other series – that looks like it’s about to change in what looks to be an epic finish.

12 (6)

Dennou Coil

The past few eps stepped back from the main plotline and has become a sort of a weekly National Geographic romp into the world of illegals. They’ve all been great fun, and select eps (12 specifically) have been incredible – not necessarily in originality (saw the same thing in an ep of The Simpsons), but in its unique atmosphere of fascination and wonder. It feels almost like Mushishi, with more focus on the creature rather than the human.

13 (8)

Zero no Tsukaima ~Futatsuki no Kishi~

The second episode stuck out like a bad hair day, but the rest have been the same not-so-guilty pleasure we’ve come to expect from this series. There is some semblance of a plot, and it may even be somewhat intricate, but does all that even matter? I think that depending on what you are looking for in this show, you’ll either be extremely happy (ponytail Henrietta BANZAI sailor fuku Siesta BANZAI), or completely let down.

14 (16)

Seto no Hanayome

School trip! Great way to introduce Shiranui, completing this seafood buffet of a harem. With the onsen episode, the show got a huge injection of the sexy factor that the other characters couldn’t provide, not to mention to intense yuri overload. It’s probably smart that she didn’t show up until this late – she might’ve stolen the show had it been any earlier! WASHIO-SENPAIIIII

15 (14)

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai

Finale of the first arc came and went, and well…it felt like it came a bit short of what we’re used to seeing. This new arc is looking better already, with a much bigger (and abrupt) swing from hope to absolute despair, and looks to add some big twists into the story. My gripe with Higurashi – what is the anime bringing to the table? Everything good about the anime is a result of the source material, not the anime itself.

16 (7)

Romeo x Juliet

After a looong hiatus in…quality…the very last scene of the ep 18 brings back some of the early magic, and keeps it going in 19. Maybe the long separation was deliberate in order to bring out all the emotions in a reunion, but it was just unbearably long and painful to watch, and not in a good way. Using a play to rally the public was odd, but it seemed to work out well – the revolution has begun, and the story has finally started to move!

17 (NEW)

Mai Otome ZWEI

Was it nice to see some more Otome action? Sure. Did it add anything to the story? Nope. Was there any value beyond the pretty animation? Not really. The pacing was completely off, the arrangement was haphazard and incoherent… in other words, typical Sunrise. The masters at introducing twists just for the sake of having twists – but hey, it was fun, and that’s all that really matters. Maybe. Stay tuned for S.ifl!

18 (11)

Heroic Age

One thing that continues to confuse me is the direction the human race is taking. Would everybody else hate them so much if it weren’t for those two boneheads at the helm? Is all that fighting really necessary for the preservation of the species? These are questions that directly influence my attitude towards a show, and Heroic Age is doing nothing to answer them. What it has done very well, however, is a constant wave of large-scale action.

19 (RET)

Idolmaster XENOGLOSSIA

It’s the return of Idolmaster – the wait (15+ episodes) has finally paid off – all the iDOLs have finally been introduced, allowing the show to actually start progressing with the final backgrounding. We’re met with some excellent emotional setups and grand betrayals – the finale is in sight, at the setup is not that bad! The show’s fallen a bit short in the fight scenes – still, the recent buzz may warrant a revisit.

20 (17)

Hayate no Gotoku!

It’s a fun show to watch, but there’s nothing to say about it other than pointing out which references were used and how hot Maria is every week (poor Omni still blogging it). There’s rarely a standout episode; most of them have been “as expected,” so the show’s extreme popularity in Japan could probably be attributed to it being a “comfort show” for its intended audience.

21 (26)

Devil May Cry

It’s nothing serious, just a weekly chill-out time involving some sorta-slick action and simple humor, and is rather successful to that extent. If you prefer your standalone series in a different flavor than what you get from the typical comedy offering, consider picking this series up – you just might enjoy it. It’s really nothing like the games, but great fun in its own unique way.

22 (18)

Lovely Complex

Every time I want to shoot it down, LoveCom comes back strong with some crazy in-your-face laughs or just some honest good plot development. Or maybe it’s just cuz Seiko finally showed up again. Anyways, the show could be better, but it could also be much worse, but at least we’re getting somewhere. With only a few episodes left, how’s their relationship going to progress?

23 (20)

Nagasarete Airantou

Chikage ep, Shinobu ep, two-parter onsen ep that introduced Sakuya and had a axe-murdered naked loli (Ayane), followed by a PsychoMachi ep – not a bad run this month. Things just seem to be better when Suzu isn’t running the show, and she wasn’t much more than a support character in these last few. Which probably means the series is going to finish up by laying on the Suzu screen time – uh oh.

24 (23)

Ookiku Furikabutte

The subs have finally started moving along, and the show has been a pleasant surprise. All hatred for the main character aside, it’s been a worthwhile sports anime that delves into the varying psyches of not only an athlete, but also a high school student. My issue with this anime – the Little League World Series was much more entertaining to watch than this – shouldn’t anime be a more fantastic and interesting take on reality?

25 (21)

Sky Girls

It’s doing just enough to be considered watchable, keeping a balance between plot-driven episodes and antic-driven. It’s maintained the same relaxing summer pace and turned into this feel-good type show, but I’m not sure that’s the best approach for something as high-octane as these Sonic Divers. Hard to make any noise in the rankings when nothing really happens… good thing those plug suits are still there.

26 (19)

Kaze no Stigma

Dare I say the filler episodes are better than the story arc eps? Well, they’re definitely easier to enjoy and don’t fall into that trap of taking themselves too seriously, which this series keeps trying to pull off during the story eps but just ends up feeling awkward and out of place. I would call this new “RPG” arc totally silly and utterly retarded, but it seems to actually be going somewhere, hopefully somewhere… good.

27 (NEW)

Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan 2

Dokuro-chan still shows her love the same way, but the production budget begs to differ. With such a talented cast and rich pedigree it’s a mystery as to why this second season suffers so badly. Or did it just not change, and everything else has gotten better? Maybe they need to stop worrying about living up to the first season and use the pipirupi on themselves, cuz these first eps were in serious lack of some life.

28 (24)

Kenko Zenrakei Suieibu Umisho

It’s gone ahead and stuck to the mindless fanservice, but lately, there have been more and more flashes of its early brilliance. While that first ep seems nothing more than a total fluke now, Umisho has managed to piece back together some of that charm. Well, I guess it just comes down to which kind of fanservice you like more – abusive loli, one-piece swimsuits, cameltoe loli, or ninja girl x ninja girl?

29 (29)

Code-E

To be honest, I had to go back to the video to remind myself of what happened… and I just watched it three days ago. It’s a light show with an interesting premise, but severely lacks in the impact department. The last few eps were spent on chasing down the microwave girl to run tests on her, and the brewings of a one-sided love rivalry hatched on a complete misunderstanding. Good material to fall asleep to.

30 (22)

Doujin Work

There was a hilarious ep involving Najimi as a tsundere catgirl, but the humor has worn thin and really doesn’t make much of an effort to climb back. I’m sure there’s still plenty of juicy otaku mannerisms to tackle, but in the meantime, the best thing this show has going for it is the fact that it’s only around ten minutes long. A good candidate for breakfast anime, ipod-while-on-bus anime, or no-regret-if-you-don’t-watch-it anime.

31 (31)

Zombie Loan

It’s really not that bad of a show… if you’re a teenage girl, with a liking for darker things. And to that end it’s quite successful, there’s plenty of cute moments amidst the darkness, and there’s a good balance of fun and seriousness. Comedy, too [spoiler alert!] – the end of ep 8 has a huge S&M guy running his chainsaw through our hero. I wanna see more of that sister on the cell phone – that girl was a hottie…

32 (13)

Moetan

My how the mighty have fallen. At least it’s still kinda funny. Well, not really. Moetan came charging in at full speed, then ran out of gas all too soon, only to fall back on excessive fanservice, which got so bad to the point that an entire episode had to get dropped. Will the train wreck continue to rage on? Will it regain some of the humor of the first episode? Will I still be around to watch it or will the FBI get to me first?

Notes:

Descriptions were purposely made a bit more general this time in order to keep things mainly spoiler-free.

Really tough choice at the 1 and 2 spots, and I went with the one that makes me feel like I’m clutching my pillow squirming and giggling in excitement like a little girl, over the one that makes me want to get up and go Grand Theft Auto on the first fifty people I see. Sorry, that sounded really weird. Well, at least Gurren Lagann has some actual competition at the top now.

The return of Idolmaster – apparently it’s finally gotten somewhat good, or at least tolerable – the RET (returned) tag has been applied.

I totally overuse the word “fun” in the descriptions. But, if I were to choose one word that would sum up this summer season, that would be it. There’s a lot of variety in genres, but in the end, most of them are just plain fun with very little baggage.

Referenced Mushishi -again-. I need a new example of something that has that slow, patient kind of intrigue and mystical atmosphere to it.

One thing that’s really helped me speed things along is the double-speed feature in MPC, which I use for some of the lesser shows. Makes them much more tolerable – but at the same time, it’s like I’m prioritizing plot over atmosphere, which doesn’t work for every show.

Didn’t expect to see School Days outranking Gurren Lagann, as the response on Animesuki and elsewhere seems pretty lukewarm. I still think Gurren Lagann is the best show right now, and I also don’t think Moetan is THAT bad either. Then again I’m still on episode 3 and waiting for subs as I rarely watch anything without them due to trying to minimize my Bandwidth usage whenever possible. Downloading something twice is a bit of a pain, and I can wait for subs. Anyway, I’d also have Darker Than Black higher than it is here and in my top 3 as well. Everything else is pretty irrelevant as I’m either not following it, or don’t care enough how high it ranks.

Huh. Bokura ga Ita wasn’t even blogged and yet School Days is being touted now? I know they are not exactly in the same category since Bokura was a Shoujo anime for the most part. School Days is guilty pleasure, but it won’t even break my top 15 at the moment.

Forgot to mention the shows that WERE dissed or put off, I think Nanatsuiro Drops is pretty well made. Albeit it IS for the magical girl crowd and it just oozes cute even if it is a mindless magical girl show.

And Shigurui is genuinely disturbing and creepy for a samurai anime. Definitely a total niche market they’re aiming for, but I think it’s grotesquely intriguing.

And I don’t see a reason to drop something like Hayate. It’s not going to be something like Bleach or Inuyasha. Only a half a year from now, it’ll be all over anyway.

Nothing to comment. Nice to see Zetsubou Sensei climbing the ranks. Also im bit worried on how they going to wrap up Gurren Lagaan. I fear for Nia. Hopefully it’s a good ending (but this is Gainax, so im holding my expectations).

While I’m surprised to see Gurren-Lagann get dropped from the top spot (especially after my head exploded with mech-piloting-mech in episode 22), I can understand School Days taking it. It’s a good series, and it does remind me (once again) how much high school sucked.

I do think that the baseball games in Oofuri are really well-done, though–it’s a more methodical, strategic sport, as opposed to the fast-paced (yet intelligent) brutality of Hajime no Ippo and Eyeshield 21.

I can’t argue against the ranking for School Days. I wish that the show was longer but that might reduce the epicness of it since part of the reason they make every episode so dramatic is because it’s short. If I didn’t know beforehand that it was based on a porn game then I would be amazed to hear it at this point. It’s the the Chronicles of Riddick video game; the source material is a media that transfers terribly to other media but managed to become a resounding triumph. At this point all they need to do is stick the ending for the show to secure itself as a romance anime staple (I’d say the top romance anime but Suzuka will hold that throne until something crazy epic comes up).

Not really watching much else this season aside from Claymore so the rest of the rankings don’t upset or please me greatly. I kinda disagree with the Geass placing. The show didn’t exceed expectations or fail to meet them. I found that it just sort of…side-stepped them. Not very many questions were answered and the show didn’t even really end. The “ending” just sort of tossed things into the air for the second season to catch and run off with.

@Kyouya: XenoSaga is a garbage series as far as plot, characters, and the everything, and 2 is practically a side story. Instead of wasting your time playing it, go make another BGM Composer post for teh lulz. Plus, XenoSaga has Kajiura Yuki BGM’s. Woe is Kyouya, playing a game with a BGM composer from the mere ranking of “Starting Lineup”.

*looks at fansub folder* Hmm, Geass actually was in the last month. Seems like longer.

Well, except for School Days and Code Geass, and the adding of Hayate and DMC, and some shuffling around (mostly near the bottom) our top 10 are pretty much the same, with ZnT II, HiguKai, Umisho, and Doujin Work rounding out my actually watching (not so much on the Umisho, due to the lack of subs far more than the non-existent lack of want).

I was watching Airantou, and may still, since I keep downloading the episodes and keep not getting around to watching them. As for Moetan, due to the lack of subs (I’m being generous here) and inevitable loss of what humor there was that is bound to accompany the inevitable censoring, I have dropped it from my list. Tons of bandwidth and a crapload of hard drive space is nice, but I don’t want to waste them… Speaking of which, quality is nice, but 500MB a piece for the early teen clockless episodes of GL is a bit much, people.

Back on topic, though… Seriously, people, what’s with all the hate for Umisho? As a fansub-watcher, I can certainly understand indifference (What are we, 6 episodes back now? Only two? Seems like more…), but if you’re paying attention, it’s actually got more substance than much better loved series such as ZnT (which I do still love) or Airantou, or even RxJ, at times. And the humorous fanservice is just a blast, even if the psycho osananajimi is a pain to watch, and not very attractive (just how did they screw up a red-head fang-wielder, anyway?).

Feel the same way about Hayate, too, but I haven’t read the manga, so I’m giving those who have the benefit of the doubt.

I actually understand why School Days shot up to #1: as the plot thickens, the dramatic tension is slowly built up as sooner or later someone will finally go postal (mind you, I’m not watching it because its too time consuming to watch and wait for someone to kill of Makoto like in the game) and Gurren Lagann is kick ass as always (#1 in my list). Although there is no fight over the #3 spot for Code Geass, It would have shot much higher if they producers didn’t put it on hiatus for such a long time (where viewers would have forgotten the awesomeness of the series as it hit its climactic cliffhanger (I yelled and ranted for 5 minutes at why they did that to the viewers)and Lucky Star will always be on top no matter what so placement doesnt really matter. For Higurashi, I would have rated it higher, but thats due to what I know and respect for the series (it follows the game format for the chapters and that leads to people who dont know the game or storyline of it to gripe at how its handled).

And most importantly…. Heroic Age should be shot way up because those two dumb fag ass brothers finally got killed off, which lead to me shouting and wooting. :)

i think the fact that school days is on the first shows that this last two seasons were not that great there were only like ten series that i think are above good and even the ones that are ongoing i still think that there are some a lot better than school days:Gurren Lagann,Claymore,Lucky star,Darker than black,Dennou Coil but everyone was it’s own tastes with anime his own preferences so i respect them

I’m only impressed how much anime someone can watch O_o
Lucky Star is constantly on my list at place no1, followed by Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Seirei no Moribito and Heroic Age.
I totaly agree with Moetan, they messed the show, but really messed..

i can’t believe School Days takes on no.1~ Gurren Lagann is great but not this one
cause the fanservice? it’s ridiculous… this list is soooo fanboy-based
i’m so dissapointed by this
it’s just like how they got lotsa more red-haired-bikini figurine than kewl girl in army costume =___=’

to each their own. (the best way to *not* start a lengthy online war over which is better).

i was personally getting slightly tired of guren lagann actually (dont kill me x,x), so yay school days making it to number 1, lol. im actually PRAYING the animators decide to finish the series off with one of th bad endings…im keeping my fingers crossedShow Spoiler ▼

especially th bad ending scenario where kotonaha decides to attack sekai on top of a bridge…while makoto watches in horror

glad to see sayonara zetsubou and “pote-chan” make it to th top 10. ^^ sayonara zetsubou sensei and its cast of just weird girls (illegal immigrant posing as japanese, cellphone addict, perfectionist *chiri-chan,* bipolar “kikokushijyo” who returns home from th u.s. etc.) is so amusing. and all th background references and comments made on th blackboard is fun indeed. th OP that features…bondage, hanging, and th last few seconds or so of sperm fertilizing an egg is also just out there.

I think Moetan has had it a bit rough though. Getting an episode cut can’t be blamed entirely on the show itself, as it was the TV Stations choice not to air it. Also there hasn’t been a subbed episode of it for a while, so it’s not exactly getting much exposure to make it’s case. Moetan’s up against some pretty tough odds, being prone to being denounced by people who want to look cool and burn it at the stake for it’s lolicon aspects, not getting it’s episodes aired or subbed AND this bizarre new censoring trend in Japan that been prominent in a number of series this year (Gurren Lagann, Hayate No Gotoku, Lucky Star, Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-Chan, And obviously Moetan itself). Moetan came out at a pretty bad time for what it’s trying to present, and now it’s paying for it, but I still enjoy it very much from what I’ve seen of it. I can’t even imagine how people are going to react to Kodomo No Jikan.

1. Lucky*Star
-Just saw episode 21. It was win. I need more.
2. Idolm@ster Xenoglossia
-Episode 19 used a DEM, but it played it out pretty well. Kinda diluted the feeling I got from episode 18, though, so that wasn’t good. But at least the story’s back and for the better as we progress into the juicy parts of this series.
3. School Days
-Setsuna…. I don’t know why people like her, but WOW at that surprise kiss and Kotonoha being just at that moment. If people thought KGNE was good, their brains will turn liquid upon watching this.
4. Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
-Waiting for subs. ;_;
5. Higurashi Kai
-Rika freaking out overshadowed a GAR K1 on ep8. So far it’s doing a good job fixing everything from the previous season, and it’s telling it’s story in a more riveting manner.
6. Seto no Hanayome
-These past episodes seems like they put the GONZO people to work on the storyboards – not a good sign. The director is a saving grace, so let’s hope he can keep up the good work.
7. Gurren Lagann
-Just watched 22. It was awesome. And I’m not a very savy super-robot show fan.
8. Nanoha StrikerS
-Subs are where?
9. Hayate the Combat Butler
-I still watch this… for the harem. It’s okay at it’s best, but really dreary most of the time.
10. ZnT 2
-I’m losing hope in this show.
11. Nagarasete Airantou
-The detective arc sure was fun (I actually had no idea who was behind that mask… oh my~). Still a good watch.
12. RxJ
-GONZOfication still going strong.
13. Darker Than Black
-I haven’t been keeping up lately.

Potemayo ranked higher than Higurashi? didn’t see that coming… I mean, Potemayo isn’t that brilliant in my opinion. actually, I think it’s kind of repetitive (have seen only up to ep 7 though), while Higurashi always has something intriguing to offer (no need to mention the wonderful characters).

Zetsubou Sensei is indeed gr8. Lucky Staruhi is really boring me- the only good thing about it is the characters, but I can’t have enough screen time of them because of the infantile Lucky Channel and the over-the-top Haruhi references (the SOS dan show in episode 16, while being somewhat fun, isn’t what I want in my Lucky Star. If I wanted to see some people imitating Haruhi, I would open Youtube). and no, the shiraishi songs are a huge waste of time for me- the karaoke is better.

I still find these Rankings useful- didn’t even think of watching Schoold Days, but if you say it can even compete against Gurren Lagann with its epicness, I think I should give it a try.

“Potemayo ranked higher than Higurashi? didn’t see that coming… I mean, Potemayo isn’t that brilliant in my opinion. actually, I think it’s kind of repetitive (have seen only up to ep 7 though), while Higurashi always has something intriguing to offer (no need to mention the wonderful characters).”

Sorry, but if you want repetition, Higurashi is all about it. I love the show too, but Potemayo also doesn’t strike me as too repetitive for being a 4koma, comedy anime. It just keeps throwing curveballs each week and that’s why it’s talked about so much.

Also, Sky Girls is rising in my ranks as it is just such a feel-good type of military/mecha/moe show.

As for anime viewing bragging rights, I’m watching around 40+ shows right now including shonen and magical girl shows. Yes. I have the time too.

School Days at 1, Code Geass at 3 and Lucky Star at 4, whilst Denno Coil and Higurashi arn’t even in the top 10. Are you new to anime? I’m predicting a rapid influx of angry anonymous coming your way soon.

OK, jaalin, I hope you really thought things through and did not just follow a momentary urge to put School Days at the top. You are making some pretty big statements: “every moment oozes perfection”, “zenith in the evolving formula of shounen romance”, “a new standard” and so on for a show that has not even finished yet. It could actually have a pretty disappointing finale. I don’t know if the producers would have the guts to actually finish with a bad ending. I feel like they are just trying to push the level of drama to the maximum by making the characters act like idiots and make bad choices and wrap up with a disappointing and unrealistic happy ending. Who knows, though, I might be wrong.

I realize this is only a monthly ranking and the results will change next month depending on the ending, but I think you should refrain from such general statements at this point. I know how sometimes just a single episode or a series of episodes can make you feel very excited about a certain show and if you are asked at that particular time you are inclined to put that show on the top of the list. If this is not the case and you really thought things through, my apologies. I still think that you should refrain from such big statements until the end of the show.

School Days is a good show and all, but still cannot compare with the awesomeness of Gurren Lagann, GEASS, DTB and several other shows. I would probably put it mostly in 7th place, but I still have not thought things through myself. This past month has really been a great month for anime, and I need some time to think about my own ranking.

Jesus Christ, go watch more anime. There are fucking DOZENS of other shows with better character chemistry than Lucky Star. I don’t have anything against the show itself, but you’re seriously coming off as a biased dumbass with this ranking.

“It’s a fun show to watch, but there’s nothing to say about it other than pointing out which references were used and how hot Maria is every week (poor Omni still blogging it). There’s rarely a standout episode; most of them have been “as expected,” so the show’s extreme popularity in Japan could probably be attributed to it being a “comfort show” for its intended audience.”

What do you call Lucky Star then? A REFERENCE anime. Oh ho? Being bias are we?

Well school days is first and gurren lagann second. I don’t like romance shounen, so I don’t consider it to be first but If people like it more than mecha/gurren lagann then I can understand that some people put it before gurren

As for gurren being better than geass I totally agree. The end of geass was very good but It just can’t beat gurren lagann. For me darker than black is the third one after our two mecha. Every story is so great and the characters are so cool which each their own sad story. 4-5th place are heroic age and baccano, a slight advantage for baccano. It’s like a mozaic-maffia movie but into anime. Better the anime should be adapted in a great mob movie.

@Kyouya: XenoSaga is a garbage series as far as plot, characters, and the everything, and 2 is practically a side story. Instead of wasting your time playing it, go make another BGM Composer post for teh lulz. Plus, XenoSaga has Kajiura Yuki BGM’s. Woe is Kyouya, playing a game with a BGM composer from the mere ranking of “Starting Lineup”.

All I heard was gibberish because as I said before, I don’t respond to people who talk in broken grammar and acronyms as if they are mentally retarded.

I personally believe that Kyouya’s BGM articles are a fantastic addition to this popular anime blogging site and his critiques are superb – they have a great deal of substance, so wtf is with ‘teh lulz’, grow up.

School Days as best Shonen Romance? Don’t make me puke. Now even saying the torrents of episodes for that failure makes me vomit by remembering the shithead main character.
Have already droped Claympore. After they butchered the North arc, I don’t feel like watching it anymore. Anime original okay, but WHY DA HELL change the existing arcs? Could not they do their anime original failure after they finish the manga material?
Current Top5 Best:
1. Gurren Lagann
2. Code geass 24-25
3. Mononoke
4. Shigurui
5. Baccano!

Current Top Failures:
1. School Days (and the crown of the Top failure goes to the most generic show. Enough with schoollife-wannabe-made-from-game, shall we?…)
2. Lucky Star (repetative. I wish for better thought-out episodes, instead of shitload of haruhi-parodies)
3. Moetan (seriously, is someone even watching this “creation”? O_o)
4. Kaze nO Stigma (what would have been a good novel adaptation was made into yet another retardation by Gonzo. Seriously, why to cut up the best parts and then go on inserting fillers? Was it really needed to make Kazuma more of “goodie” than he wasin novels?)
5. Mai Otome ZWEI (Was I only one who did not see a POINT in this? Did it conclude the series? No… Have it revealed the secrets of the world? nooo…It was just another money-milker by sunrise. And, OH! whad do we hear. They are going to do a PREQUEl…oh ye…)

darklord: indeed, monthly ranking. i realize that the ending could totally tank, but in the meantime, the previous 4-5 episodes have been nothing short of perfection. i don’t say that from a preference standpoint (i do like it but that’s not why i’m head over heels for it) – having watched almost every single trashy shounen romance anime for the last couple years, there is nothing remotely close to what school days has achieved in terms of execution, pacing, and raw unadulterated emotion. it’s my belief that people are too caught up with makoto bashing to see the “behind the scenes” genius of school days. it’s completely shattered all the hype and expectations and gone on to become so much more.

which is much more than i can say for geass – keep in mind that geass has much more going against it, with only two episodes to show itself, and even then, the argument can be made that the previous two episodes (22-23) were better. expectations were through the roof and for the most part lived up to them, but there was nothing that exceeded them – and from that angle, could be considered a failure. i’m sure people were expecting to be blown away and that just wasn’t the case.

as for gurren, i specifically made a note at the bottom as to why it got pushed to 2nd. terribly hard choice and i ultimately went with the one that invoked stronger feelings. school days is much sharper, more precise and direct, whereas gurren is much flashier, action-driven, and HOLYSHI- propelled. not sure if a kobe bryant vs michael jordan comparison is the best analogy to make, but it’s something along those lines.

Um no @ everything written about School Days. It’s pretty mediocre other then the exceptional disgusting main character. People are simply watching School Days for the trainwreck and BAD END, not because they think it’s epic or wonderful.

Looking at the reasoning I knew it had something to do with Gurren-Lagann being a mecha series and have a strong action component. I love it how my favourite genre keeps getting penalized for that. I’ve been well aware of the way Mecha is looked down on by certain people for a while now, because clearly it can’t have emotional drama and evoke powerful feelings like a High School based H-Game. I also love how even though there’s about a thousand anime with the exact same premise as School Days, it’s somehow better than Gurren-Lagann, one of the rarities of our age, on a technical level, because Mecha has been relegated to some sort of lower tier genre. I guess it’s like the show business tiers of popular media, going Movies, Television. Radio, Plays, Sideshows or somethings like that. Slice Of Life (Like Lucky Star, which I think isn’t that great, but seems to get by because people see the genre and feel it’s somehow superior and thus ranking it higher makes them superior as well) seems to have been relegated to about where the movies would be, High School Romance in the Television like slot, and Mecha in the Sideshows slot.

I know it was a hard choice and I respect that you had to make it, but I think that the reason behind it is flawed and says (Not a Quote): “Even though I feel both are at the top of their game, just because it’s Mecha/Action, Gurren-Lagann automatically ranks beneath School Days, which is High School Romance/Drama/Romance”.

It is indeed unfortunate that people had unrealistically high expectations about the GEASS finale – like really really high. But if I could put the blame about it in someone, I blame the producers. First of all, people had very high expectations because GEASS is a great show. Second, those expectations were enhanced by the producers’ decision to wait three months to air the last two episodes. During those three months people had the time to develop their own theories and envision their own perfect ending to the story. I know I did. Therefore, no matter how good the finale was, it would never exceed people’s expectations, simply because those expectations were too high. However, if you look back a little and consider the series as a whole, I think the finale was great and falls perfectly in place with the course of the story. I know a guy who watched the whole series after the final two episodes had aired and he told me it felt perfectly right.

Now what about School Days? I kind of see where you are coming from, putting it on top. The series is indeed very popular – almost all anime blogs are covering it; it gets more comments on RC than any other currently airing show and more comments on animesuki than any other summer show. However, here’s my main problem with it. Most people who watch it do not really appreciate the show for what it is. This show was already overhyped before it came out because of the infamous bad endings. This sparked the interest in the fans and awakened their craving for blood. You are completely right – people are too caught up with the Makoto bashing. Most of the numerous comments for this show consist of some insult directed at the main char coupled with a desire to kill him. I can guarantee you, the show would never be that popular if the three bad endings did not exits. Many people keep watching it, simply waiting to see the bad end(I have a feeling they will be disappointed, but who knows – the eerie music they play at times gives me a little hope). It’s a shame since it’s really a good show which delivers good drama and character development.

“it’s completely shattered all the hype and expectations and gone on to become so much more.” – see, I completely disagree with that statement. This very board’s poll proves that – only a small portion of the people who watch it actually believed it exceeded their expectations. I guess you are one of those select few. However, this is where this ranking stops being objective and becomes your own ranking. I guess I might be disillusioned, since you started out this power ranking aiming it to be objective. Maybe it was not your intention, but somewhere along the way, I believe this ranking became simply your own personal ranking and this month’s ranking show that pretty clearly. There’s nothing wrong with that, just state it openly.

@Sheba: That’s because they don’t go hand in hand like most people seem to think. People see Mecha and immediately think Gundam and War, but just because there’s fighting in Mecha doesn’t automatically mean they are even attempting to portray the military structures, politics and suffering of war.

A Semi-Documentary/Drama set to the backdrop of WWII,a real life war, will always evoke stronger feelings than something like Gurren-Lagann, which is fictional, because the event in Schindler’s List still effect us to this day, since they actually happened, and we have relatives that fought it in and had it affect them, whereas Gurren-Lagann is just a show.

I could go on, but I think my point and yours are pretty clear that Mecha and a Real Life War aren’t ever going to invoke the same feelings, but I think that’s also because they don’t really try to, so your statement that attests to this, is kind of obvious and ultimately beside the point, if indeed you were building of my argument, which I’m not sure is the case. And thus we have reached the same conclusion through different means, via the concept that is debating. So much fun sometimes.

jeez, *some* of the posters here need to 1) relax and 2) understand that this is jaalin’s ranking, not your own. do you *seriously* think what you have and what he has will match perfectly? x,x

let’s not insult jaalin by saying he’s a biased *insert swear word here* can we? he is watching all these shows (which most of us can’t even begin to do), and of course it’s biased, it’s based on personal opinion. =.= if each of us made a top 30+ power ranking list with explanations, it *will* turn out biased to what *you* like as well. i’m sure what i said will be completely ignored, however.

and i STILL can’t believe some people are still going ga-ga with the haruhi references on lucky star. almost all of them barely go over a MINUTE or two. of course, i suppose that’s the only thing you can point out though, because there is quite a lot of cultural references present as well…hmm…

@Mewmew: Of course we know that…..I hope, and I think some people are also flaming Jaalin really unfairly and in a childish manner. I hope I haven’t become one of them, but I think it’s fair to take on the reasoning behind the decisions and say why we think they might be faulty, and I did find some things rather strange and contradictory to some degree. Like the way Jaalin goes head over heels for two series in the Slice of Life genre that are on this page, would make you think they took top billing, but they aren’t even in the Top 3 let alone the top 2. Then he comments that 2 of the series in the top three were merely solid, I know it’s hard to rank this many series and all, but the reasons really don’t match the rankings in this case. On another tack, Umisho and Moetan have similar descriptions on what’s happened recently, yet are seperated by 3 shows, it doesn’t add up, the only difference is that one has more lolis than the other.

I prefer to take on the argument rather than the person, as it’s very unfair to target somebody personally, saying they don’t know what they are talking about or their blog is crappy because they don’t like what you like.

The things I like to look at in these types are articles are things like what Gurren-Lagann going from a show “That’s Crazy Good Fun”, to a “REAL show that’s crazy good fun” means. We can assume it’s supposed to imply Gurren-Lagann improved somehow, but wait, what was it before then, a fake show, like what does “REAL show” mean exactly, is School Days an even more “real show” and that’s why it’s higher. It’s things like these that confuse me and don’t really contribute to explaining why the series are ranked where they are in Jaalin’s minds eye. Does that mean Jaalin’s an idiot, no, does that mean his article sucks, I hope nobody thinks that, if anything it’s interesting because it’s something to talk about.

Disagreeing with somebody leads to discussion. Just going “awesome awesome” is fun for a little while, but in the end, unless you get into the hows and whys of a show being awesome (or even the hows and whys of its NOT being awesome), your understanding of that show won’t go any farther. I think Gurren-Lagann is better than School Days–it appeals more to me in that I prefer seeing heroics and badassery and over-the-top action, as opposed to a very unlikeable main character and the girls who have to put up with his bullshit. However, many other people in these comments have pointed out some good qualities in the show, and have made me want to progress past where I was, which is why disagreeing with people can in fact be goddamn cool.

Glad to see Baccano and Potemayo in top ten. I agree that DtB has lost its momentum from Evening Primrose arc. They should start with the final arc already. I hate it if the writer crams everything in the last 2 eps or so like Cowboy Bebop.

You should give Mushiuta and Mononoke a second chance. Mononoke has a charming style (in its own right) and Mushiuta has a great atmosphere (I admit I like its slow pace). Little league is more exciting because Oofuri spreads a 2 hour or so match into 6 or so 20 mins episodes with 1 week wait in between ep (or more for the fansub). That cools down the excitement built in the past eps considerably. I usually watch anime in short marathons of 4-5 eps so I never feel Oofuri as boring.

I, of course, read that thread at 4chan.
It was like Jaalin was not allowed to have HIS own opinion unless it is approved by some “good taste council” whatever, otherwise he would get the tar and feather + rotten tomatoes treatment every time he speak his mind. Because, let’s face it, rankings, awards and whatever are always determined by the judges’ bias, or whatever they likes atm.
I, for example, never approved any of Cannes’ Gold Palm (excepted for three movies, “Apocalypse Now”, “Pulp Fiction”, Polanski’s “The Pianist”), often accused judges to be biased against movies or genres I thought more deserving. But, hey, they are paid to be movie critics and maybe they sees flaws I do not see (?)

I think School Days is getting a bit more praise than it actually deserves. Every moment doesn’t ‘ooze perfection,’ nor does it set some super-high standard for other shows to try and reach. It’s nothing more than a good-if-not-a-bit-better-than-good show with a unbearably unlikable main character that definitely doesn’t beat out shows like Lagann in overall quality unless you’ve got a grudge against every genre other than ‘romance’ or something.

I think that school days is entretaining and funny, but its not the best show ever, its a norma soup-opera in anime. So, i watch it, i enjoy it, but i dont think that it deserves the number 1.
About Lucky star i am kind of tired of all the Haruhi stuff, and even when it is funny. its far from been a great show, it over-valued

I’m all for shounen romance, but no way in frozen hell does School Days deserve the praise you’re giving it. The writers of the show are fond of abusing characters to the point where you ask yourself, “why the f**k am I watching this?”. Not only do the writers themselves abuse the characters, but they get the main character in on the gang-raping, and then there really is no logical reason to be watching the show unless you’re a stay-at-home mom who enjoys the dramatic thrill of “Days of our Lives”.

were dealt with very well, and the way they handled that was largely how people would really act and feel, making it believable and able to empathize with the characters no matter what their flaws.

“It’s nothing more than a good-if-not-a-bit-better-than-good show with a unbearably unlikable main character that definitely doesn’t beat out shows like Lagann in overall quality unless you’ve got a grudge against every genre other than ‘romance’ or something.”

Yeah, this guy’s trying to be nice. School days looks pretty, but that’s it. It promotes dumbassery, the characters are plain and one-color, and it has a garbage plot that combines a teenage soap opera with a harem anime and a hentai, minus the explicit sex.

BTW, I read your earlier posts and responses to the school days thing and I know people are giving you crap for it and all. I have nothing against you, and enjoy your entries a lot, but I definitely have to disagree with your reasoning on the merits of the anime just because it’s an emotional roller coaster. By throwing outrageous plot twists that, in the romance genre, are abound in another genre called “soap opera”, doesn’t mean it’s good.

To clarify, I think it is much more difficult to convey subtle emotion and to evoke the sense of empathy in a viewer based on that subtlety, or when those characters who exhibit those emotions are fleshed out and their emotion cannot be described by one word or by “character types”. My beaten-to-death example is Honey and Clover, in which the characters are so human, anyone can relate to them no matter if they’ve been in that situation or not. School Days has the “shock” factor but in no way should that qualify it to be epic since that shock factor is easy to produce.

Rankings will be based on completely unbiased (lol) and objective things such as:
o Enjoyment: quite simply, is it…good? Make you go “zomgclicknow” when you see it pop up on the torrent list?
o Honesty/Morality: does the show try to be something it’s not?
o Technical Aspects: animation, music, voice acting (fits with the context of the show)
o Overall response from blog writers/readers

“LoveCom” is so full of win! Okay, it’s your typical romance and, yeah, a bit awkward; but, that’s what makes it full of win! Risa and Otani’s relationship feels real- They have their ups and downs and are struggling to make it work as a couple rather than just friends w/ every episode. I’ve only seen to 20 so far, but while it’s a slow episode, I still think it was really good in expounding upon the climax and encouraging plot. It reiterated that this wasn’t just some one-sided love attempt, but something derived of a physical harmony of sorts. Plus, any show is win where you can’t cry w/ the protagonist simply for the fact that she won’t shut up about bear curry :D

Everybody just shut the f*ck up and leave the guy alone. First of all people lets just say Jaalins doing this anime blog as a frickin HOBBY its not his life you know? and if u disagree with wat he thinks and if u ppl think ur so good why dont u just make ur own frikin anime blog. This is purely for fun, and u guys are making a big deal outta this. First of all School Days isn’t that bad as an anime if you think about it. I’m mean sure the characters suck and they’re shallow and the plot isn’t that great. I mean I was suprised too…but just give urself a chance to understand the show before ur bashing on just one frikin character. I mean Makoto u can hate the guy, I mean who wouldn’t? But dont let ur hate of just one character influence ur judgement on the WHOLE SHOW!!!

As for Gurren Lagann…no offense to u gurren lagann fanboys out there, but I don’t like it. I mean wats so good bout it? The drawing and quality of the show isn’t so appealing, it gives and old skool outdated feel to it cuz the quality is so horrible. The mecha designs are the most…weird that I can remember. The onli thing I can give credit for is the character development especially on Simon. O and please don’t say I’m a mecha hater…because I F*CKIN LOVE MECHA ANIME! I grew up watching them thanks to my dad, so before u think I’m victimizing on mecha, u dont know sh!t. I grew up watching my dad’s dvds on old skool stuff like Mazinger, Getter Robot, Gundam, and the other mecha sh!t that i love. Ever since the Gundam Seed (screw Destiny) came out, mecha became my one of my favorite genres of anime. So I dont see how Gurren Lagann comes close to the traditional mecha genre, or maybe it’s something by itself.

Speaking of mecha, time to talk bout the one thats been breaking all expectations to how good it is with the “WHAT THE F*CK” factor in the best cliff hanging episodes…Code Geass. This show never ceases to suprise me at every twist and turn it makes, with some of the best characters in anime u can get. Its the show that cant stop being loved, I mean seriously ppl I kno 24 and 25 didn’t exceed or even barely met some ppls expectations and lead to more questions than answers. But if u realli didn’t enjoy the last episodes of the show why dont u guys just rewatch the season and appreciate it more. When I watched 24 and 25 i wasn’t dissappointed at all, in fact with stuff like who the hells V.V. and Marianne (Lelouch’s Mom)already knowing she was gonna be killed and let her children watch her die. Other factors like this makes you think “Damn this show just keeps getting better and better”.

The whole point of talking about all this stuff is ppl, u need to learn how to seperate what’s good quality and whats horrible sh!t like the mainstream sh!t they show in America. I mean I like Bleach and Naruto, but after they “Americanize” it and watching ppl cosplay as naruto or bleach characters…its like its lost they’re uniqueness. Anywayz…ppl stop bashing on the guy whose giving something to enjoy I mean realli…once again i’ll say this, but if u haf something to say against the guy and all ur doing bashing sh!t on him u need to get a life or get ur own blog

Dont worry, i think this post became bad only because anonymous stepped in.
There’s a shitload of anime genres out there so not everybodys opinion will be the same.
With that said, school days is based off of a H-game, what do ya’ll expect?

1) School Days over Gurren Lagann. OK, I’ll take your case that School Days may be one of the best romance comdeies out. It might be a 5 best romance shows ever. But Gurren Lagann, when it’s all said and done, might be one of the top 5 SHOWS ever. It’s really, really that good. There’s been no drop in quality over the last couple weeks, so I can’t see anything justifying knocking off GL.

2) Lucky Star staying solid, Hayate falling. Really, can’t every argument you’ve made about Hayate losing it’s quality work for Lucky Star as well? I really can’t see how you keep Lucky Star on the perch while continuously dropping Hayate when they both suffer from the same problems.

3) Seto no Hanyome #14. jaalin, I don’t get why you keep this show so low. It’s easily the funniest show out there right now…and yet it only moves up two spots after a month full of absolutely fantastic comedy. It deserves a top 5 spot.

Besides that, not too many problems. Very, VERY glad to see SZS and Potemayo in the top ten, s the definately belong there for being drop dead funny…but still, you need to put SnH up with them, as it’s STILL the best comedy of the season. The only edits I would make are switching School Days with Gurren Lagann for 1-2, and switching Lucky Star out for Seto no Hanayome, which really deserves the 4 spot. Lucky star is still a good show…just not NEARLY as good as SnH.

I would flame some more about Gurren Lagann not being number one, like it should be, but I think there has been enough of that. haha.

I think there should be a group of people to get a consensus for something like this, not just one person. That’s a lot of weight for jaalin and a lot that he has to deal with for his choices, cause that’s basically what they are, his choices.

my personal opinion, just because “SCHOOL DAYS” give a little twist and there… it doesnt mean its freakin number 1… thats outrages why wont we all watch Americas day soup drama cause it has better twists then “SCHOOL DAYS”

Do not get me wrong i am currently watching this show. As yet it shouldnt be number 1 in my opinion. I admit that the quality and sound quality stays as it is, but its no better than a average anime… Hell… its worse than day soup drama thats aired in America